Mile 8: Walk In My Shoes

Walk In My Shoes
St Stephen’s Green Dublin
Friday 12th April 2013

The Walk In My Shoes event on Friday was the perfect recovery from last weekends Connemara half marathon. A gentle stroll around St Stephen’s Green ending back at Grafton Street was lead by a flash mob of Mary Lowe and the voices from Corus Choir.

The fundraiser set up by St Patrick’s Hospital Foundation is all about creating awareness and communication of mental health issues. The theme of the event came from a remark by a young patient about how it feels to suffer from difficulties with mental health. “It particularly supports 18-25 year olds so they can get access to the proper care and attention they need,” said Caroline Sherlock, fundraising manager. The pleasant sunny day was in stark contrast to last year’s torrential rain and the idea to get people out in funky, mismatched footwear and enjoy a short walk together was great fun for all those taking part as well as the many onlookers around this busy city centre location. “It gets people to start talking which is so important for wellbeing,” said Sarah Surgenor, Communications Manager at St Patrick’s University Hospital. Among those taking part were one hundred TY (transition year) students from nearby Loreto On The Green. “We try to promote wellness in a broader sense throughout the curriculum and emphasise the importance of exercise and nutrition among the students,” said TY co-ordinator Jeanne Barrett. “The girls are all delighted to be taking part here today.”
While bad knees for Brent Pope means he is unable to train at the level he used to enjoy as an international rugby player, model Alison Canavan was keen to promote the benefits of exercise no matter what level you are at. “People might think that exercise is about weight and forget about the wellbeing. For me it is about wellbeing and I think that this can be under valued at times,” she said.
Small steps cover great distances and with a donation of €2 per person for this event and other similar fringe events going on around the country, the organizers were delighted with the turnout and the commitment from everyone taking part.